


See You Around

by Okadiah



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Bars, Drinking, Eddie meeting an Avenger, Just Eddie and Scott winding down, Only neither realize who the other is, ant-man - Freeform, venom - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 22:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16942263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okadiah/pseuds/Okadiah
Summary: While winding down at a bar, Eddie gets into a friendly discussion with the guy next to him about the superheroes on the news.





	See You Around

**Author's Note:**

> This was a super fun prompt to do. It was nice to get Eddie to meet an Avenger/San Fran local. Also, they are my brotp now. Enjoy!

Eddie was enjoying a beer at the bar after a very, _very_ long day tracking down leads, uncovering a corrupt official and then having to deal with his enhanced bodyguard – a guy who'd done everything he could to be a pain in the ass and generally give both he and Venom a run for their money. They'd won and after turning them into the authorities, it was well into the evening. Venom was dozing at the back of Eddie’s mind as he drank, and seemed wildly content to recuperate while Eddie watched the news.

As always these days, the news was filled with villains and heroes and anything anyone could scrounge up about the Avengers. But in San Francisco, he was interested to find that not only had they made the news since someone managed to catch a small clip of them as they'd streaked away in a black, glossy blur, but also that they hadn't been the only ones active today either. Turned out Ant-Man had been busy too. The reports were unclear about what exactly had happened, but there he was, big as a house. And here Eddie thought he and Venom lacked subtlety.

A dark-haired man groaned in relief as he settled beside Eddie in the only seat left in the bar, and he watched the guy smile and flag down the bartender. A moment later a beer appeared before him, and the look of utter delight that crossed his face matched the one Eddie had given not too long ago.

"Long day at the office?"

"The worst," the stranger said dramatically before he paused and amended, "Well, maybe not the _worst_. But it was long, let me tell you."

"I hear you, pal. I had a long one myself. I'm Eddie."

"Scott." Scott glanced up at the news where it had just cycled back to the Ant-Man story. He smirked and nodded at it. "Crazy huh?"

"Yeah, news is pretty insane these days," Eddie agreed. "Avengers, size-changing men, superpowers, aliens. What's next?"

"You want to know what I heard today? About what he was fighting?" Scott said, nodding toward the TV where Ant-Man was still the center of attention. Scott leaned closer. "Shape-changer. That thing could turn into practically anything. There?" Scott waggled a finger at the screen where helicopter footage caught Ant-Man stumbling back from something impossible to see from the angle. "It turned into an elephant. An elephant!"

"Eh, that's nothing. That guy," Eddie uncurled his index finger where it was wrapped around his bottle to point at the TV which had cycled back to Venom. "Dealt with a firestarter today." Eddie mimicked the way the firestarter had produced flames from his hands earlier, complete with sound effects. "Fire _everywhere_."

"Ugh, fire's the worst, especially here in California. If firestarters want to play somewhere, the least they could do is have the decency to go somewhere that's _not_ going to burn everything? It's not like Ant-Man and whoever that is on the screen are carrying around tons of water." Scott made a contemplative face. " _Can_ that guy do that?"

"What? Him? Venom?" Eddie laughed at the thought. "No, I don't think so. Just super strength. Durability. Tentacles. At least, that’s what I hear."

Scott's eyes widened and he leaned toward Eddie, voice dropping. " _That’s_ Venom? And tentacles? That thing's a genuine _tentacle_ monster?” He covered his mouth and the amused, horrified smile growing there. “Things really _are_ crazy these days, aren't they?"

Eddie opened his mouth, thought better of it, then said, "Maybe they're more like tendrils?"

"Maybe. Seems like semantics though,” Scott said with a chuckle before he took a sip of his beer. “Wonder what it's like to be _that_ guy? Tentacles, dear lord."

"I hear they're pretty useful,” Eddie replied casually. “I mean, in comparison to Ant-Man who's always stumbling around because of his size and everything, can't be too bad. Venom's versatile and fast."

Scott waved a hand. "It's only because of Ant-man’s size that he's so slow. Can you imagine being that big? That's a lot of mass to move around. Not to mention there're buildings and people – man, so many people, they're like, everywhere. Must be tough for him.”

"They’re _always_ in the way," Eddie added with a chuckle of his own. "Even when they're told to leave. At least, that’s how it seems when I watch the news."

"Right?" A wide smile crossed Scott’s lips. "But, I mean, come on. It's not like Ant-Man's not trying. It's hard – it looks hard, I mean – being that size. Better when he's smaller. Like, honestly."

"Ant-Man can get smaller?" Eddie paused, listening to himself. "Guess that's why he's called Ant-Man."

"Yeah, and he's _way_ faster. And stronger."

"Can't be stronger than Venom," Eddie couldn't help but say with a grin. "You have to see that guy. He's intense."

Scott made a face. "Seems kind of wild to me. From what I’ve heard, there are even rumors that he _eats_ people. Can you believe that?"

Eddie made a face and smiled while he sipped the last of his beer. Yes, he could, in fact, believe it.

"Who knows?” Eddie said instead. “And if it is true, no one's perfect. He only eats bad guys, from what I hear. Like, _really_ bad guys. I mean with Ant-Man I've heard the civil damages alone are stacking, especially since he learned how to get big."

Scott sniffed. "Didn't _learn_ anything. And like I said earlier, being big's hard – got to be hard, I mean. And draining. And it's not like he's had a lot of special training or lots of money or anything like that. Maybe he's just, I don’t know, an average joe making it all up as he's going, doing the best he can? Bet Venom can't say anything like that. Bet he's got money out the wazoo."

"Wouldn't surprise me if he was just as average," Eddie sighed, wishing he had money out the wazoo. "Just some Joe too. Can't all be Starks, you know?"

"Or Pyms," Scott added drawing from his bottle again. "I'm glad you get it, Eddie. No one else I know really just _gets_ it. Well, except for my daughter."

"That's sweet," Eddie said.

Scott smiled. "Yeah, it is."

"You know what I think?" said the guy on the other side of Eddie, and they both glanced the eavesdropper’s way. "I think they're both idiots. They make more of a mess trying to save people than actually doing any real good. Sure, someone's alive, but can you think of all the money it's going to take to rebuild everything they destroy afterward? Because I can, and let me tell you, it's not cheap. They should think before they act."

After the day Eddie had had and all the people they'd saved – who admittedly had been terrified by them, but also relieved and thankful – the last thing he wanted to do was listen to this guy.

"So, these heroes should just let people die?" he asked.

"Money's more important than saving lives?" Scott added, a hard look in his eyes. "Those guys are putting their lives on the line to keep people safe."

"That's what the police are for," the naysayer said. "They should just leave it to the professionals."

"And if the professionals can't get there in time?" Eddie reasoned, trying to control his anger as he thought about Drake. "What if the professionals aren't able to get through the red tape and actually _do_ something about it?"

"I'm not saying there aren't problems with the system," the guy said. "Just that we shouldn't have vigilantes breaking everything and deciding what's right, then leaving before they can be held accountable."

"Tell that to the people they save," both he and Scott said at the same time. They eyed each other, but Eddie looked back when the guy harrumphed, grabbed his drink and moved to the other end of the bar where another spot had opened up.

"What an asshole," Scott said.

"No kidding," Eddie said. "Let him put on a suit and see what he does."

"Right?"

They both laughed, but in the wake of the exchange something nudged at Eddie’s mind, and suddenly he couldn't help but look – really look – at Scott. He looked tired, but then most people here did so it didn’t mean that much. What _was_ interesting however were the bruise marks on his hands and palms. The purple smear just visible under the collar of his shirt on his shoulder. A place the Ant-Man on the screen had fallen on when he'd been shoved to the ground.

Now that there was a pause in the conversation, he noticed that Scott was looking at him too, eyes subtly searching. The reporter in Eddie wondered just how right his growing suspicions were, even as Scott's brow pinched slightly too.

**_Eddie,_** Venom said, breaking through his thoughts, the alien’s voice thick and tired as if he’d just risen out of his doze. **_Are you done? You said one beer, and it's been two. Let's go home. We need to sleep._**

_Uh, right. Yeah,_ Eddie said telepathically before he gave his head a tiny shake. They had been here a while, and he had promised his symbiote that he wouldn't be long. And maybe, this once, he wouldn't let his inner reporter out. _Let's go, then._

Venom curled within him, radiating contentment at the news that they were finally going home. After flagging down the bartender and settling up, he stood.

"Well, it's been fun, Scott, but I've got someone who wants me home. You know how it is." Eddie patted Scott's shoulder as he passed by. "See you around."

“See you around.”

Scott lifted his beer and smiled before returning his attention back to the news where his lips curled ever so slightly at the sight of Ant-Man on the screen. Despite what Eddie might suspect, there was no point in digging.

And so he walked out of the bar and resolved that if they as Venom ever _did_ run into Ant-Man one day, he'd invite him out for another beer.


End file.
